It’s mostly about the life and impact of a tiny, frostbitten kitten stuffed into a library drop box on the coldest night of 1988 who was discovered by the librarian the next day and became adopted as the library cat for this small-town library in Spencer, Iowa. The story broadens to include a history of the town and the background of Vicki Myron, the librarian. The town becomes a sort of third main character and the emphasis on community really struck me.

“The fire is our legacy. It defines us. The only thing we don’t know is the name of the boy who started the fire. Somebody knows it, of course, but a decision was made to keep the identity secret. The message: we’re a town. We’re in this together. Let’s not point a finger. Let’s fix the problem.”

– Vicki Myron, Dewey

I recommend this book so much, especially to people who think cats can’t love you back, or that libraries can’t be warm and inviting, or that small towns in the middle of farm country have nothing to teach us.

Pigeons are the best, I bet the little guy would have loved living in a library but despite being adorable, he is probably also swimming with disease and parasites :(
If you’re a librarian, I think Dewey is required reading! Actually, it inspired my plan for National Library Week this year!